


This Revolution Business

by emungere



Category: Firefly
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-11-20
Updated: 2004-11-20
Packaged: 2018-02-26 10:23:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2648546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emungere/pseuds/emungere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The waiting is hard.</p>
            </blockquote>





	This Revolution Business

**Author's Note:**

> For swanswan‘s Serenity Not-Quite-Now Challenge. Much thanks to justblue0162 for betaing.

Kaylee's hand covers nearly all of the tiny back she is patting. Little Mary burps, gives a sleepy sigh, and stops crying. Kaylee leans back against the engine room bulkhead. Finally.

She walks to the bridge with rolling steps designed to make sure Mary keeps drifting off. She finds Wash sitting in his chair with Mary's brother asleep in his lap. Joshua isn't a crier. Didn't even cry the day he was born, most likely because Mary was screaming enough for both of them. 

"He reminds me of my baby brother," Kaylee says quietly. She settles in the other chair, holding Mary like something mechanical with more than a few screws loose. "He was such a good kid. Never cried, not even when we were playing and he fell out of that tree. Near broke his arm, but he was so brave."

Wash pats her shoulder. "We'll get news soon. The Alliance hasn't got any call to bother your town."

She shrugs, trying to smile. "They didn't have no call to go and do what they did in the war, neither. But they did it all the same. Just can't believe all the cortex lines are out. Don't make no sense."

Unless the Alliance doesn't want news of what they're doing to the people on Kaylee's planet to get out. That's what Mal thinks. She heard him talking to Zoe before everyone left.

"Guess I'm lucky," Wash says. "I've got all my family right here where I can keep an eye on them." His eyes soften as he looks at his children. Joshua has one chubby hand wrapped around his finger.

He looks out at the planet they're orbiting, and his smile fades a little. Zoe and Mal and the rest of them have been out of contact for almost twelve hours now.

"We'll get news soon," Kaylee says. "They'll call. You know they will. Captain'll find a way."

"I'll tell you something," Wash says quietly. "Sometimes I wish we'd never gotten into this revolution business. I know it makes Mal and Zoe happy, and hell, I'm all for anything that makes my wife happy, you know that. And anything that hurts the bastards who played with River's head, that's fine by me. But...I hate the waiting."

"I know," Kaylee says.

She hates it, too. She wishes she was brave enough to go with them. Even Simon and Inara went along. They both carry guns now. Simon seldom uses his, but Inara is almost as good a shot as Jayne.

She wants to say something about how they're making it a better 'verse for kids like Mary and Joshua, but she's not sure they are. The fighting drags on and on, and Mary cries so hard when Zoe comes back bloodied, just like she knows somehow.

A burst of static comes from the comm, and they both sit forward. Mary starts fussing, twisting her small body in Kaylee's arms. Kaylee pats her back absently, waiting for a voice that doesn't come.

She and Wash sigh and lean back in their seats. Mary settles down again.

"I hate it, too," Kaylee says.

Wash used to go with them sometimes, before the twins were born. Kaylee squeezes Mary gently. She feels bad that Wash can't go now, but waiting with him is so much easier than waiting alone.

Wash reaches for her hand, and they watch the stars together.

"If Mal was the one who had to stay behind and wait, we wouldn't be doing this," Wash says.

Kaylee nods. "Captain ain't real patient."

He squeezes her hand. "I mean we've got the harder job here. He couldn't hack it."

She's not sure she believes that, but it makes her smile anyway. If the waiting's her job, she'll do it as long as she has to. Maybe it really will be a better 'verse for the little ones someday. She's still hoping it'll be better for all them a lot sooner than that.


End file.
